Eight second attention span? Now, there’s an app for that. A revolutionary new app aimed at showcasing the skills of teens and young adults is now available on iTunes. 8secondz offers an entirely new take on the world of online video presentation, one in which world-class mentors in a variety of categories will “pay it forward” with one-on-one coaching sessions for those heroes whose videos are selected as the best in their class. And it all happens in videos that are just 8 seconds in length!

The new app was designed to showcase and reward promising young talent of all types in an 8-second format that easily accommodates both video creators and video viewers on the app. In 2015, Microsoft published the results of a study it had done, and concluded that our average attention span had fallen to 8 seconds, from 12 seconds just 15 years prior. 8secondz is the app for that!

“We are living in a time where self-made short-form video is a big part of how we communicate,” said Founder / CEO Manon Youdale, “having spent many months analyzing the world of gamification and short-form video, I embarked on creating the 8secondz platform which encourages healthy competition where users can showcase a wide range of skills and be offered an opportunity to be judged by multiple leaders in each vertical. Increasing the odds to win, leaders choose two entries out of the top twenty in each category to privately mentor/coach – it’s a win win - for all. To post simply for the sake of gaining ‘Likes’ offers no great rewards. Teenagers today should be rewarded for their efforts, and have a purpose to post. Plus, 8secondz opens the space for mentors to give back to young and ambitious individuals who thrive and flourish through being educated.”

"Competing and mentoring young people are two things I am extremely passionate about,” said Caroline Buchanan, Olympian and World BMX Champion, who will serve as a mentor in the 8secondz Sports category for the August competition. “Through 8secondz, I can engage and guide young fans, get them involved in healthy competition and, hopefully, encourage more active youth and ultimately a more active society.”

World-class mentors include accomplished experts in a broad range of endeavors who are passionate about encouraging the next generation. Olympic BMX Champion Caroline Buchanan serves as a mentor for one of the app’s December competitions, and “The Walking Dead” star Katelyn Nacon will serve as one of the judges/mentors for one of the January competitions.

Recognizing that today’s teens/young adults are highly effective multi-screeners as well as creative entrepreneurs, 8secondz offers a platform for these young go-getters to showcase their unique skills and content craftsmanship. The competitions are divided into (but not limited to) the following categories: Gaming, Entertainment, Fashion, Beauty, Sports, Art and Music. Each month brings a new world-class mentor to each category; the mentor will judge the best entries in that category, and for the creators of the top two videos, a one-on-one mentoring session via Skype, Google Hangouts or phone.

The talented up-and-comers and content warriors of today are driven, ambitious young adults who crave sound advice and tools from leaders in their field. 8secondz opens this door by engaging mentors in the above fields to judge the videos and offer advice.

The 8secondz competitions for December are currently open, and each closes at 6:59pm (EDT) on the 30th of December, 2017 -- 8.59am (ASET) on 31st December.
The categories for this month’s (December) competition, and the mentors who will judge their respective categories and offer coaching to the top two entries for the month include:

Entertainment/Trickshots are life! – Judged/mentored by How Ridiculous, You Tube stars known worldwide for their Ridiculous sporting antics.

Entertainment/Beat the best – ride the air bull – Judged/mentored by 24- year-old world ranked professional bull rider Lachlan Richardson

Plus, international recording artist Mirrah invites users to compete in an 8-second rap competition to be judged solely by other app users. The hero that out-raps the competition and beats the Internet to win, will have global bragging rights and will be featured across 8secondz social media platforms. And lastly, there is a Food Competition, in which users post videos of their foodie creations.

8secondz takes the safety and well-being of its community seriously. Users of the 8secondz app must agree that they are at least 13 years of age, and 8secondz will not tolerate negative conduct of any kind, including threatening, dishonest or misleading remarks or actions. Users are permitted only one account each. Part of the app’s safety features includes the ability for any user to block another user, and for users to report inappropriate posts. If content is deemed inappropriate, it will be removed and/or the offending user’s account will be deleted.

Users can enter any/all competitions each month, however only one entry per user is permitted for each competition. The 8secondz app is free to download, posted videos are free to view, and it is free to vote. Each and every month, there will be competitions that are free to enter, as well as a number of competitions (those featuring celebrity mentors) for which entry requires a one-token in-app purchase.